Once Upon A Time
by FurrySaint
Summary: Together, Ami and Makoto make their way through a world not their own. A sequel to 'Ever After' by 'Corvus'. UPDATED: 5/2/09
1. Lightning Crashes

Author Note: This series is a sequel to the story 'Ever After' by 'Corvus'. It can be found here on FFnet.

Once Upon A Time: Chapter One - Lightning Crashes

Makoto woke instantly. Three years in a land where danger comes in many forms had taught her that being slow to wake could mean the difference between life and death. Her other senses told her that everything was fine before her eyes even opened, and the sight that greeted her caused her to smile. Just as it had for the past week. Ami was curled up against her side, one arm around Makoto's waist, and one leg twined between her own. It _had_ been rather cold last night, and there are only so many blankets that can be piled on a bed. Makoto looked toward the fireplace, saw that it was down to the last log, and sighed. There _was_ a chambermaid assigned to the rooms, but Makoto thought the girl was frightened of her for some reason. The few times Makoto had come in to find the girl there, she'd hastily finished her duties and scurried out the door with nary a word.

Makoto sighed again and put her hands behind her head, letting her eyes follow the pattern woven in the canopy of the four-poster bed. She suspected it had to do with her and Ami's 'status' as 'heroes'. Three years ago, they had found themselves summoned to this mist-covered land. _Literally_ summoned. Under command of their ruler, a council of mages had held a ritual to bring much needed heroes to their beleaguered country. They were rather surprised when the end result of the summoning was two teenage girls. Not as surprised as Ami and Makoto had been, though. But their passage to this land had disrupted their memories, and it was many months before they remembered much more than just who their were. Even now, their memories of home were incomplete. They knew names and places and faces, but so many of the emotions behind them were lost. Usagi, Rei, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Setsuna. Moon, Mars, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Pluto. Fellow soldiers all, but neither Makoto or Ami could remember details of what battles they fought together.

Makoto looked down and stroked the short, blue hair of the sleeping girl beside her. Even in the whirlwind of confusion that were their first moments here, Makoto had known in her soul that she had to protect this oh, so precious person. And as time passed, and they regained their memories, she had realised that it _wasn't _just kinship that she had felt towards Ami, her fellow stranger in this strange land...

For the longest time, Makoto had hidden her feelings. Partially from herself, but mostly from Ami. She didn't know how, but she knew that where they had come from, she and Ami had merely been good friends. Nothing more. But as the months turned into years, and their shared experiences built up, Makoto knew she couldn't keep her feelings buried. She let her love come to the surface for Ami to see, and she waited. She made no mention of her feelings, but did not hide them. She knew that Ami knew her true feelings, for the young mage was _far _from a fool, but she did not press. She wanted Ami to make her own decisions without feeling pressured. For a year, she had waited. Patiently. Calmly. Lovingly. Those who had trained her and trained _with _her would never have believed that she _could_ be so patient, but Makoto knew that--for all her knowledge and power--Ami was as a bird. Ready to take flight in an instant if startled. And Makoto would not _dare_ jeopardize losing the one person she loved in all the worlds.

An incident a week before had thrown that to the wind. While escorting 'their' country's ambassador, they had come under attack, and to save Makoto's life, Ami had taken someone else's. When Ami had first realised the power she commanded as a mage, she had sworn to use her powers to defend and heal, but never harm. And here she had _killed_ to defend her closest friend. To protect herself and Ami, Makoto had taken many lives in the time they had been here, but she had always managed to shield Ami from that pain. In the aftermath of the attack, Makoto saw that she was going to lose the one she loved unless she acted. Ami was still a bird, but she was taking wing and that meant Makoto couldn't wait any longer...

The baring of souls is never easy, but in the other, they each saw what had been missing in themselves. Tears were shed. Of pain. Of joy. And of relief. Relief for Makoto because she knew her precious bluebird would not fly away from her. And relief for Ami because she knew that, no matter what, she had a safe refuge in Makoto's arms.

The final days of their trip were uneventful, and once they reached the ambassadorial compound they were released from their duties until the return trip. Aside from the reception dinner the night after their arrival, their time had been their own, and they had spent most of it talking.

Of course, they _already_ spoke to each other every day, but the opening of their hearts had also opened new avenues of conversation, and Makoto thought that they had finally _truly_ spoken to each other for the first time. No more walls between them. No more mirrors to hide behind, showing the other what they wanted to see. While on the road, they hadn't had time to speak to each other. At least not alone and at length. Once they were settled into their rooms, though...

Their first night in the compound, they had talked long into the night. Finally falling asleep in each others arms. And that was a pattern that repeated itself on the following nights. During the day, they also spoke, but the _deep_ conversations were saved until the nighttime. It was not something that they had decided consciously, but more of a mutual unspoken understanding. And though they did sleep together, that was _all_ they did. Sleep. Makoto had had years to get used to the idea that she loved another woman, but for Ami this is something new. And this was something _else _that Makoto could wait on for as long as it took.

Makoto looked to the window and saw the dull glow of dawn pushing through the morning fog. Then she looked back at the fire and saw that the log was on its last legs. Loath though she was to do it, she touched Ami's shoulder and gave it a little shake. "Hey, I know it's cold, but you need to let go of me for a minute."

Ami gave a low "mm" and hugged herself closer to Makoto.

Makoto chuckled and bent her head to kiss Ami's hair. "You know, for someone who was the Soldier of Ice and Water, you sure can't handle the cold well."

Ami took a deep breath, and Makoto could see her eyes open underneath her bangs. "Mmh. I'm not Mercury anymore, and you aren't Jupiter. We lost those parts of us when we were brought here."

Makoto's smile faded and she squeezed Ami's shoulder. "I know, Ami. I'm sorry for bringing it up. We_ will_ find a way back to our world. I promise." She sighed. "I was a fool for giving up so easily. I had lost hope."

Ami shifted her head to look at Makoto. "You are _not_ a fool. Even though we didn't realise it at the time, we both fell back on our strengths. You learned how to protect me in this new world, and I sought knowledge. We _both_ got sidetracked before we even realised there _was_ a track. We barely remembered each others _name_ when we first arrived here. You can't blame yourself."

Makoto sighed again. "I have to blame someone. I wonder if it's something to do with this land. Everything is so..._shrouded_. What light gets through seems to barely warm you. Maybe it's like that with hope as well. There seems to be so little here."

Ami smiled and brushed Makoto's hair back behind one ear. "There _are_ sunny days here, Makoto. And there _is_ hope. Maybe not as much as back home, but..." Ami laid her head on Makoto's shoulder, her voice thoughtful. "Maybe...maybe that's why we're here. To _show _them that there's hope."

"Us against the world?" Makoto asked with a smile.

Ami lifted her head again to look Makoto in the eyes. "Us. Together."

Makoto's eyes widened as she gazed into those deep blue pools. This... _This _was what had been missing._ This_ was what she had been seeking the whole time they had been here. Her other half. Finally and forever at her side. "Together. Together we can do _anything_. We can change the world," she said in a low voice.

Ami reached up and drew Makoto down to her. "And we will..." she murmured just before their lips touched.

oOoOoOo

Makoto added two more logs to the now-roaring fire before turning to warm her backside. "I don't understand why you couldn't just...I dunno..._levitate_ more logs onto the fire from the bed."

Ami giggled from the bed, where she sat with the covers wrapped around her. "It doesn't work like that. Each element has certain things it can do. Water is the most malleable, and Metal the least. Wood can grow or rot or be shaped easily, but it doesn't naturally fly through the air. I _could_ have made the fire larger, but without a suitable fuel source, it would have to feed off _my _energy, and without an ether-focus, I could only have sustained it for a few minutes."

Makoto stepped away from the fireplace now that she had warmed up. "And _with_ your scepter?"

"Mm...a half-hour or so before I started getting tired. But Fire is dangerous to try to control for so long. It's not a _true _living thing as Wood is, but even so, it seems to have a mind of it's own at times."

Makoto looked down at her hands. "That reminds me of the lightning... I could call it down... Make it do my bidding...but there was always the thought in my mind that it was _allowing_ me to do so. That I could control it only so long as _it_ pleased." She let her hands drop. "I suppose it doesn't please to any more..." A sharp _krack_ and rumble of thunder caused her eyes to go wide and her head to snap up. Both her and Ami looked toward the window where they saw the morning sun being hidden behind dark stormclouds. The wild look in her eyes faded and Makoto sighed. "Looks like this isn't going to be one of those sunny days."

Ami groaned and dropped back down on the bed. "Oh, no..."

"What is it?" Makoto asked as she stepped back beside the bed.

Ami shook her head, "I had just promised to meet someone today, and here it's going to rain."

Makoto furrowed her brow. "Meet? Who?" She felt a sudden surge of emotion, and a moments reflection made her realise that it was _jealousy_. Here she was being the jealous girlfriend _already_? She couldn't help it as she broke into a laugh, which of course, made Ami look at her questioningly.

"What's funny?"

Makoto just shook her head as she smiled. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Just my being silly." Ami just looked at her for a moment before her eyes went wide and she blushed, then she grabbed a pillow and swung it hard at Makoto.

"I can't _believe_ you!" she cried with a laugh. "Hasn't been a _week_ and you're already jealous!"

Makoto just stared at Ami as the pillow _fwap_ed against her. "How could you know that?!"

Ami pointed at her with a grin. "I_know_ you!" The grin faded to a soft smile. "Now, more than ever..."

Makoto matched the smile with one of her own, and time passed unheeded until the moment was interrupted by a knock at the main door of their chambers. "Ah. That's probably breakfast," Makoto said. She cocked a thumb at the table by the fireplace. "I'll have them bring it in here since it's nice and warm in here now." Ami nodded and slipped out of bed, pulling on a fur-lined robe.

Makoto walked out of the bedroom, and shivered. The fireplace in the main room was stone cold and her long nightshirt was not much protection. She _really_ needed to have a talk with that chambermaid... Makoto didn't feel that she was being snooty or anything. She knew she was not some noble lady miffed at the 'help', but the girl _did_ have a job to do and was ignoring it for some reason.

When she opened the door, there stood the subject of her thoughts, carrying a well-laden tray. Makoto cocked an eyebrow at her, and wondered for a moment how she'd knocked on the door while carrying it. Then she noticed that the girl was blushing and had given a little start when she'd seen Makoto. The girl swallowed. "I have your breakfast, my lady."

Makoto's brow furrowed at bit at the 'my lady', but she motioned the girl inside. "Take it into the bedroom, please. It's a little too cold to eat out here." As the girl went past her, she didn't speak, but Makoto saw that she had the good grace to look chagrined. After closing the door and pondering for a scant moment of locking it, Makoto followed her into the much warmer bed chambers. Ami had settled herself at the table, and as the girl was setting the breakfast plates on the table, Makoto followed Ami's example and grabbed her own robe, knotting it tight as she shivered slightly.

Breakfast was quickly laid out, and as the girl gave a quick bow and turned to leave, Makoto spoke, "Wait! Please."

The girl froze and slowly turned back to Makoto, her eyes wide. "M--my lady?"

Makoto rolled her eyes at the 'my lady'. "Look...what exactly is your problem?" she asked as she spread her arms to indicate the rooms, Ami, and herself.

"I...I...I don't know what you mean, my lady!"

Makoto sighed and waved her hand at the girl. "Oh, stop with that! I'm nobody's lady."

"You're _mine_," Ami replied matter-of-factly without looking up from the hot bread she was spreading jam on.

Makoto could feel a blush spreading up from her neck and slowly turned toward the table. "You're not _helping_ Ami..." she said through clenched teeth. To which Ami just giggled in reply. She turned back to the girl, who had turned beet-red, and took a deep breath. "What I _mean _is, do you have a problem with myself or my friend? Ever since we got here, you seem to have been avoiding us. Any time you're here when I come in, you run out like a startled deer. You _are_ the chambermaid, and I've asked around... You just have our chambers and one other to see to, and unless the person in those is a slob of godly proportions, I don't see _why_ you aren't doing your job here." She pointed to the main room. "There's _no _fire in there, and the one in _here _was almost dead when I woke up." She shrugged and spread her arms again. "What _is_ the problem? _Tell_ me!"

The girl stood there trembling. Looking like she wanted to be _anywhere_ else in the world but where she was. "I...I...I'mverysorrymylady!" she let out in a rush, as she bowed deeply. "It won't happen again! I--I have other duties to attend to, but as soon as those are done I will return to see to your chambers!" And before Makoto could do more them open her mouth to reply, the girl fled from the room and they could hear the chamber door quickly open and close.

Makoto looked at Ami, who returned her slightly shocked look. "What was _that_ all about?"

Ami just shook her head. "No idea," she said before taking another bite from her bread. She motioned to the other chair and swallowed. "Sit. Eat. Before it gets cold. The _trali_ is excellent this morning," she said, indicating the pot that contained the local equivalent of coffee. It wasn't quite as bitter as the coffee they remembered, and held a hint of fruitiness. Makoto sighed and sat down, pouring herself a cup before digging into the food.

After taking the edge off her hunger, Makoto spoke, "Do you think it might be because...well...because we're..._together_?"

Ami smiled at this as she sipped her _trali_. "You mean because we're lesbians?" She shook her head. "I don't think so. It..it doesn't _feel_ like it's that." She grinned. "Listen to me! Like _I_ would know about things like that. Ah, I wish Minako was here, she wo--" she stopped and all but dropped her cup on the table. "Oh, _what_ am I _saying_?! I don't wish Minako was here! I wish _we_ were where _she_ was!"

Makoto reached over and took Ami's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Ami...it's all right... Calm down..."

Ami closed her eyes and put her other hand on top of Makoto's. After a few moments her eyes opened and she looked at Makoto. "It's _not_ all right, but I'll be okay." She pulled Makoto's hand up and kissed it. "_You're_ here. And that _makes_ it all right." She smiled. "I would have been lost years ago without you."

Makoto blushed and squeezed Ami's hand again. "As would I without you."

Ami patted her hand, then let it go, and they both went back to their meal. When they finished, Ami spoke up again, "To change the subject slightly, you know what I miss about our world?"

"What?"

"Radio."

"Hm?"

"Being able to flip a switch and listen to music any time I wanted to. Before the reception dinner, when was the last time you heard music?"

Makoto sipped her _trali_ as she thought. "Mm...last month sometime. One of the stableboys was playing a flute he'd made."

Ami nodded. "And it was two or three for me. And I used to listen to music every day. Of course, living somewhere without all the noises of a huge city lets you hear nature's own music. Back in Haalo I think the local birds are forming an _acapella_ group outside my rooms. I couldn't sleep late even if I _wanted_ to!"

Makoto grinned and got up to put the half-full pot of _trali_ on the lip of the fireplace to warm it back up. "My turn to change the subject: who _are_ you going to see today?"

Ami laughed. "One of the local mages I spoke with at the dinner. He runs an apothecary in town, and mentioned some medicines he'd made from local plants. I wanted to go by and see if they were anything I could add to my healing kit," she said, indicating the pouch hanging on the side of the wardrobe where their gear was stored. Her magic was good at healing wounds and such, but diseases were something beyond the ken of magic.

Makoto nodded. "Sounds good. I'll escort you." She held up a finger as Ami opened her mouth to protest. "Ah-ah. No 'but!'s. The ritual that brought us here might let us understand the languages of this world, but this is still a foreign country. They might have some strange law about how beautiful, unescorted, sorceresses become the property of whoever can catch them!"

Ami crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow up. "Now _that_ is reaching. Adorable, but reaching." She raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. You win. You'd follow me anyway just to make sure I was all right."

"Damn right I would," Makoto said with a smile.

At that moment rain began lashing the windows and another rumble of thunder broke overhead. Ami grinned at Makoto. "You _sure_ you want to come with me?"

Makoto stuck her tongue out. "Positive. But let's wait a bit and see if this passes."

"Sounds good," Ami said as she stood and stretched. "Nnn...ah! I'm going to get dressed and head downstairs at least. I want to see how things are progressing on the diplomatic front."

Makoto thought that was a good idea and soon they were both dressed. Ami in the traditional white that Haaloan mages wore, but wearing white pants instead of her normal skirt in deference to the weather, while Makoto was in her normal wood-brown boots, pants, and jerkin. Her hunter-green cloak and red-auburn hair the only spots of color on her. Ami slipped her scepter into a loop on her belt, the small ether-globe at its tip holding it secure. Makoto checked her sword before buckling it on and hanging her gloves on her belt for later when they went outside. As they headed out and down the stairs Makoto noticed something. "You know, with all the white stone they use for building material in this city, you're better camouflaged than I am."

Ami looked at herself, then Makoto, and laughed. "You're right! I guess _I'll_ be the sneaky one today."

When they got to the main floor and asked around, they found that they were too late to talk to the ambassador. He'd already left for the palace for the days talks. While Ami got directions to the apothecary from one of the compound staff, Makoto stepped outside to check the weather. She saw that the first wave of the storm had passed, but she could smell another one coming, and it was going to be a rough one. She could almost _taste_ the ozone in the air from the lightning arcing through the clouds overhead. Things were going to get exciting real soon now...

oOoOoOo

Makoto waited for Ami outside the apothecary while the sorceress consulted with the owner over medicinal matters. The myriad scents inside the shop had caused Makoto to start sneezing the moment she walked in, so she'd retreated outside to the entryway. Makoto watched a small two-horse coach roll past and she really felt for the driver and footman. The rain _had_ let up for a while, but was coming back with a vengeance, and she didn't envy them stuck huddling under their cloaks while their charge rode in dry comfort.

A few score meters past the store, the coach slowed to allow a man in a dark cloak to cross the road. As the man came to Makoto's side of the road, his cloak swirled open and she saw a large _naginata_-type weapon appear in his hands. While she was still puzzling how he had hid a two-meter-long weapon under his cloak, he ran toward the coach and, in a swing testifying to both his strength and the quality of his weapon, the man sliced through the hindquarters of the lead horse and the neck of the second, dropping them both to the ground and sending the driver flying off his seat into the street. When the coach had slowed, the footman had looked around from his position on the running board along the back of the coach, and so had braced himself when he saw what was happening. As he jumped off and started to run toward the front of the coach, Makoto saw four more dark-cloaked figures emerge from rain-shrouded doorways on either side of the street, and knew this was more than some random act of violence.

Pausing only to throw the door to the shop open and yell for Ami, Makoto fairly flew down the street, her long, curved blade flashing from its sheath as she ran. Barely had she gone a dozen steps when one of the new figures' own blade found the neck of the driver as he struggled to pick himself up from the ground. He fell back down as a spray of crimson joined the rain in falling from the sky. When the footman saw this he slid to a frantic stop beside the coach. He made a few quick gestures and as he spread his arms wide Makoto felt the itching in the back of her skull that she had come to know as the feel of magic being used nearby. There was a flash and suddenly the coach was surrounded by a tall ring of flame, the footman barely visible behind the shielding fire. The cloaked figures pulled up short at that and looked at each other. Makoto thought she heard one of them speak, but the rain and the distance made the words indistinct. With a nod another of the figures stepped forward and spun in place. Her cloak flew open and Makoto saw what looked like tiny flashes of light come from under it. As suddenly as it appeared, the ring of flame vanished, and Makoto saw the footman drop to the ground with dozens of thin metal spikes sprouting from his body.

By this time, Makoto had gotten within striking range of the assailants without being noticed. They certainly noticed her when she swung low and cut through the knee of one of the attackers as she ran past him. When what appeared to be the lone woman of the group had flung her spikes, Makoto had seen that she was wearing a chain shirt under her cloak and so assumed the rest were as well, since they appeared to be dressed identically. As the man fell screaming to the stone street, she saw that she was correct in her assumption. With that in mind she brought her sword around in a two-handed swing that beat aside the hastily-raised defense of the man who had slain the driver, then thrust her blade into _his _neck.

As more red rain fell, the man dropped, and Makoto had an instants warning in which to duck and roll as the initial attacker swung his weapon at her. She felt a tug at her throat and realised that he'd gotten part of her cloak with the swing. As she came to her feet, she saw that he'd continued his motion and spun completely around as he moved toward her. The thick, curved blade at the end of the staff whistled as it cut through the rain, and the upward swing missed her by scant centimeters as she danced back. He spun the blade and brought it back around in a quick backhand swing that she managed to block, though she felt the impact vibrate up her shoulders. She knew that if Ami hadn't strengthened her sword with what little Metal magic she knew, it probably would have snapped. He stepped back, pulling his weapon back into a defensive position as he gave her a quick once-over. One eyebrow quirked up over the stormcloud eyes that were all Makoto could see above the mask he wore. "Sorry, dear. This is a private party."

"Well, _dear_, I'm crashing it," Makoto growled.

The last two attackers were beside the coach, the man doing something with a metal vial as the woman eyed Makoto with pure hate. Makoto saw glimmers of steel in her hands and made sure to keep her opponent between her and the woman, as she didn't fancy becoming a pincushion. The woman said something to her companion, then turned to Makoto's opponent, "Don't just stand there, _kill_ _her_ while we get through the wards!" to which the man nodded and shifted his grip on his weapon before launching himself at Makoto...

oOoOoOo

As Ami she ran down the rain-slicked street, she once again envied Makoto for her long legs. Through the downpour she saw her friend down the second man, and before she could even draw breath to warn Makoto, she watched the girl roll clear of the sneak attacker, then face off with him. Ami was close enough by then to catch what the woman said, and that made her turn her attention to the two beside the coach. While the woman watched the fight, her companion dipped two fingers in a metal vial and quickly outlined the door of the coach with a shimmering silver substance that Ami recognized as _silverbreak_, a viscous liquid that was used as a component to help remove unwanted enchantments. Ami's mind shifted and everything slowed as she worked through all the possible options...

It was obvious that they wanted whoever was inside the coach. And whoever it was, was a person of importance. Normal coaches did _not_ have magical wards on them. If they wanted to kidnap them, she and Makoto would probably be able to prevent that. Makoto and her opponent were evenly matched, and moving so swiftly that Ami was afraid to use her magic to help, for fear of striking her friend. But if they had to run with whoever their victim was, the man would have to break off the fight, giving Ami a clear shot at him. However, if they wanted to _kill_ whoever was inside, Ami would have to prevent them from getting the door open, since Makoto wouldn't be able to stop them before they did so. If Makoto hadn't been so close, Ami would have frozen the water on the road and just left the attackers to slip and slide until more help arrived. Sadly, she no longer had the precise control over ice that Sailor Mercury had, and such a spell would cover most of the road, endangering her friend. Thankfully, as a master of Water magic, she had a lot of options at the moment.

Options that were currently falling all around them...

Gripping her starwood scepter, Ami lifted it high, feeling her power flow through the wood and into the ether globe at its tip, where it was magnified many times over. For just a moment, her power over Water allowed her to _feel _every separate drop of rain falling around her, and that moment was enough for her to _hold_ them. Then she began to move her arm as though twirling something above her head, and as she did so, the rain gathered itself into a string of water. And as more rain fell into her control, the string became a cord, then a cable, and then...

oOoOoOo

The man working on breaking the wards never knew what hit him as he was suddenly slammed sideways by what felt like a giant club. At the last second, the woman saw the massive stream of water hurtling toward them and threw herself back against the coach. Her friend was not so lucky as he was struck by the equivalent of a narrow-stream firehose, and went flying across the road to crumple against a building. Her attention finally torn from the duel before her, she saw the white-cloaked sorceress gathering another stream of water, and decided to not give her the chance. With a step and a spin, a double-handful of spikes flashed through the air...

oOoOoOo

Makoto had grinned to herself when she saw Ami begin casting her spell. She'd seen it used before and knew how effective it could be. The grin was quickly replaced by a grimace as she blocked another low swing. She was too used to fighting other swordsmen, not someone whose weapon allowed them to put so much force behind their blows. And he was a shade too fast to allow her to dodge his attacks. If she didn't end this quickly, she knew her arms would tire and he would force his attack through her guard.

The sound of water impacting flesh reached them and caused her opponent to glance behind him to see what happened. Makoto took the split-second break in concentration to thrust her sword in a one-handed lunge at his face, but as she did so he spun the staff end of his weapon up in an apparently reflexive action the moment his eyes left her, and knocked her blade away. The tip of it cut the edge of his hood and nothing more, but that was enough for him to give her a startled look as he jerked back and dropped into a defensive crouch.

"Gods, girl! You're fast! Been a long time since someone got through that!"

By his eyes, Makoto could tell he was grinning, and she felt one of her own coming on. "I just got your hood. Hold still and I'll get the rest."

"Sorry, dear. No can do."

Makoto's grin turned into a growl at the 'dear', but before she could launch herself at the man, she caught sight over his shoulder of the woman spinning into her attack. But not at Makoto, at...

"AMI!!"

An instant before Makoto's cry, Ami saw the danger she was in. Knowing her control over Metal was too weak to deflect the spikes, she thrust her scepter toward her attacker and willed the stream of water she held sway over into a spinning shield before her. The thick 'ropes' of water knocked the spikes off-course, but Ami knew if she shifted the water enough to attack with, more spikes would come her way, so they were at a standoff.

The woman screamed at the man as she pulled more spikes from under her cloak, "Orek! Quit playing with the bitch and _take out that sorceress_!!"

Orek nodded without letting his gaze leave Makoto, then brought his weapon up over his shoulder as though it were a bat and he were going for a home run. Makoto jumped back out of range, but she saw the grin in his eyes again as he spoke. "Sorry about this, dear, but duty calls..." Then he swung, and as he did so, crackles of lightning flowed from his hands and up the staff into the blade.

Ami saw this and had just enough time to scream Makoto's name before the blade arced in front of him, and the lightning was released in a wave that slammed into the auburn-haired warrior...

...whose face broke into a large grin as the lightning played over her body before traveling down her arm and gathering into the blade of her sword. "Lightning and I are old friends..._dear_!" she yelled as she swung her sword and sent the lightning _back _at the wide-eyed man..

"Oh, shi--" was all Orek got out before the lightning struck him and, with an explosion of thunder that shattered windows down the street, sent him flying back a score of meters before he slammed to the ground.

The lone attacker still standing stared in shock at the twitching form for just a moment before snapping her gaze back to Ami, then Makoto. Pure hate radiated from her eyes. "I am NOT done with you!" she screamed at Makoto before diving around the coach and down an alley before Ami could even think about sending an attack at her.

Makoto planted her sword point-first on the ground and dropped to her knees, clutching the sword to keep herself from collapsing all the way. Ami gasped and ran toward her, noticing as she got closer that Makoto was twitching slightly, and she could almost swear she saw a stray arc of electricity go from her sword to the ground. "Makoto...my god..._how_ did you do that?!"

Makoto shakily smiled up at her. "I...guess the...lightning still...remembers...me... Sadly my...body...is a little...out of practice!"

Ami wiped her eyes, not knowing if it was rain or tears or both that ran down her cheeks. "That could have _killed _you..."

"Ah, I'm tougher than that. But it still hurts like hell!"

Ami smiled at that and placed her hand just above Makoto's head. After a moments concentration, a green aura spread from her hand down to cover Makoto, who let out a low groan. "Wow. Like dipping into a hotspring. I usually don't get the full-body treatment from y--"

"STEP AWAY FROM THE COACH!"

With speed belying her recent exertions, Makoto pushed herself to her feet and spun, her sword in a defensive position as Ami turned with her scepter at the ready. Facing them were a dozen armored figures, half with swords and shields, the rest with crossbows which were cocked and aimed at them both.

Ami felt Makoto tense up beside her, and heard a low, "Oh, boy..." come from the tall warrior. Ami placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Makoto, wait. That armor... Those are palace guards!"

Makoto glanced at her. "Palace?"

One of the guards spoke again, "This is your LAST warning! Step--"

"It's all right," came a clear voice from behind them.

The guardsman stepped forward. "Princess!"

Ami and Makoto turned to each other. "Princess?!" Then they continued the turn to look behind them, the sight causing both of their jaws to drop.

Stepping down from the coach, the white-cloaked young girl ignored the rain as she pulled her hood back and let her long cornsilk-yellow hair fall loose from its two ties on either side of her head. "It's all right," she said again to the guard before smiling wide at Makoto and Ami. "These two are my protectors."

End Chapter One

Next Chapter: New Moon Society


	2. New Moon Society

Once Upon A Time: Chapter Two - New Moon Society

"Any idea what time it is?"

"Somewhat after noon, I believe"

Makoto sighed. She and Ami were sitting on a comfortable bench outside the throne room where the king and queen of Kala'i were holding court. A few hours previous, they had rescued said king and queen's daughter from an assassination attempt. After a minor misunderstanding with the palace guards who arrived moments after the battle was over, the princess had been rushed back to the palace, as had they. After they were attended to by royal physicians, who found no injuries thanks to Ami's healing magic, one of the palace scribes had come to record their side of things. After that, they had been escorted here, to await the summons before the royal court. And wait they did...

Makoto stood and paced back and forth across the white stone hallway. The tapestries and statuary along the hall had kept her interest for a good half-hour, but after that, boredom had quickly set in. "Agh! Why are we having to wait? There've been a score of people going in and out of there since we got here!"

Ami smiled and leaned back, laying her arms along the back of the bench. "Because this is the one day of the week when the king and queen hold a true 'people's court'. Anyone with a dispute can bring it before them, but their decisions are absolute. So it's a court of last resort for some people, and for others it is the one place where they believe they can get a fair decision."

Makoto paused in her pacing and looked at Ami. "Can they?"

Ami thought on that. "Everything I've heard and read about Kala'i says 'yes'. The rulers have a long history of being fair. Harsh at times, but fair. 'Tough love', I guess you'd call it."

Makoto nodded. "I can handle that."

Ami grinned. "Just be glad they don't allow _normal_ petitions today, or we might be out here till the sun sets."

Makoto threw her arms up and dropped beside Ami on the bench again. Ami moved closer and put her arm around the taller girls shoulder. Makoto gave her a small smile. "I'm all right, Ami. Just...tired, I guess. I don't know..."

Ami stroked Makoto's hair, pushing a stray lock behind her ear. "Physically, you're fine. But what about mentally?" Makoto shot her a look and she grinned. "Not _that_ way, silly. I mean, you don't know _how_ you survived the lightning, do you?"

Makoto looked down at the floor and slowly shook her head. "I didn't even feel him using magic till it was too late. When it struck me, I thought I was _dead_, Ami. When it struck...it's like it went straight to the core of my being." She looked down at her hands. "My every vein was an arc of lightning." Her hands clenched into fists. "It _hurt_! It took everything I had to force it out into my blade and back at him."

Ami covered Makoto's fists with her hands, giving them a squeeze. "But it worked, Makoto. You _did_ control it and send it back at him." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You've always been able to sense magic being used around you. That's a rare gift, Makoto. I know of only a handful of mages who can do that. But when you were tested for magical ability, you showed not a whit. I'm wondering if they were looking in the wrong place."

Makoto looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "You've lost me, Ami..."

The blue-haired sorceress smiled. "Most mages use their will, their minds, to control their magic. But some..." She placed a hand on Makoto's chest. "Some use their hearts. Their magic is instinctive, not learned. And I think that's where yours lies."

Makoto covered Ami's hand on her chest with her own, a shocked look on her face. "_My_ magic?!"

Ami smiled more as she took Makoto's hand in hers. "I _may_ be wrong, but I truly believe that you will be able to call the lightning once again." The look Makoto gave her was one that parents everywhere saw on the faces of their children when they got that _one_ gift they wanted more than any other. Ami leaned up and kissed her, and they were both lost for a moment before Ami pulled back slightly and whispered, "You see? There's _always_ hope, my love." The smile on Makoto's face was one Ami had not seen in a long time...

"_Ahem..._"

Both of them started at the interruption, glancing up to see an older gentleman in what seemed to be the standard palace garb of white and gold looking down at them with an upraised eyebrow and a slightly disapproving look. Makoto and Ami both blushed and looked at each other with matching grins before standing up. "They're ready for us?" Makoto asked.

With a slight roll of the eyes, the gentleman nodded and escorted them to the still-closed doors. As they approached, he spoke in low tones, "They have said that you are to retain your weapons. I do _not_ suggest you draw them. Normally only palace guards are allowed weapons inside the throne room. When you enter, walk up the carpet, but approach no closer than the gold weaving. If They wish you to come closer, They will tell you. As you are not Their subjects, you are not _required_ to bow," he said in a tone that left no doubt that _he_ felt they should anyway. "Regardless of which one speaks to you, reply to Them as 'Your Majesties'." With that, he nodded to the guards before the doorway, who turned and pushed open the large double doors...

The white stone Kala'i used for building material was very much in evidence in the throne room. Everything _gleamed_ with a bright white light. The only touches of color were the courtiers themselves. The room itself was a rectangle with the doors at one end and the thrones at the other, with a long white carpet stretching between the two. The arched ceiling was two or three 'floors' above them, and stretching from the second 'floor' upwards were numerous thin vertical windows down either side of the room. Wide enough to allow the sunlight in, but not wide enough to weaken the defense of the palace wall.

Here, as in most royal courts, the closer someone was to the thrones, the higher their social standing. Standing nearest the doors were the common folk. The ones who either had a petition before the court or who had come to see how their rulers ruled. About half-way down the room 'standing room only' gave way to three levels of raised seats on either side of the room. These 'bleachers' were also made of white stone. They were not very high, just enough for those sitting to see over the heads of those before them. But in these seats were the true nobility of Kala'i, the landowners and trading houses.

Ami and Makoto took all this in in a glance as they walked up the white carpet. They caught snippets of conversation as they walked, mostly wondering who they were and why they still had their weapons. As they got closer to the thrones, they got their first look at King Kameio and Queen Hina of Kala'i. Their hair was pitch black, in stark contrast to their daughter's blond locks. The queen's flowed down over her white shoulders and was held back by her thin gold crown, while the king's was gathered back into a low ponytail. Their clothing matched the room, being all in white, with their hair and gold crowns being the only color on them. The king wore a long padded, brocaded shirt that gave the impression of armor, with his pants tucked into knee-high white boots. The queen's bodice, while similarly brocaded, was unpadded, and left her pale shoulders and neck bare. Her plain, white skirt came down just over the tops of her low boots. The thrones they sat on were actually carved from a single piece of stone. Two seats had been carved into it with a single 'arm' between them. If they both rested their arm on it, one would have to rest on the other. In this way did the Kala'ians show that the King and Queen ruled together.

As they reached the far end of the seating area, they saw the aforementioned gold weaving forming a ribbon-type pattern on the carpet. They both stopped just before it and bowed deeply.

Queen Hina smiled at this and shook her head. "No, please. Do not bow. Stand tall before us," she said as she motioned upward with her hand

Ami and Makoto both blinked at this and with a quick glance at each other did as they were bid. They noticed that those few words silenced the court, and yet left behind an air of tension, letting them know that this was an unusual occurrence.

Queen Hina looked at her king and nodded, placing her hand over his on the arm of the throne. King Kameio took a deep breath and began to speak, "We have one last item before we call an end to the court today. This morning, our daughter, Princess Meyna...was attacked and almost killed by unknown assailants." A collective gasp went up from the court, and questions began to fly between the courtiers before it was quickly silenced as the king continued to speak, "Both of her bodyguards, one who was a mage of the Vermilion Order, were slain as they attempted to defend her. Their sacrifice _did_ give her final rescuers--" he motioned to Makoto and Ami with his free hand. "--time to come to her aid. Because of their loyalty, even at the expense of their lives, the Princess's bodyguards will be enshrined in the Vaults of the Fallen, and be forevermore honored." Turning his attention from the court, he glanced at his queen, who smiled and they both focused their sky-blue eyes on the two young women before them.

"Makoto Kino. Ami Mizuno," Queen Hina said as she squeezed her husband's hand. "Though you are not our subjects, on this day, we owe you a debt we can never repay. You have returned our daughter to us safe and sound. As you are Haaloan, we cannot give you the true knighthoods that should be yours, but from this day forward you _will_ be accorded all the rights and honors of Kala'ian knights." She turned her attention back to the court. "All hail Kaihe* Makoto Kino and Kaihe Ami Mizuno! Knights of Kala'i!" Ami and Makoto could just stare in shock as the entire court rose and bowed to them.

(* lit. 'spear', traditional title of Kala'ian knights)

oOoOoOo

After the declaration, the king and queen had called an end to the days court and retired from the room. Still somewhat in shock, Makoto and Ami had been escorted from the throne room by a guard who informed them that Their Majesties wished to speak with them in private. After following the guard for what felt like a quarter hour as he led them through the winding halls of the palace, they finally stopped before a plain-looking door with two guards before it. Their escort turned to them as one of the guards opened the door. "Please wait inside. Their Majesties will join you shortly." And with that, he turned and walked away. Makoto motioned for Ami to precede her into the room and followed her with the guard shutting the door behind them. They both paused a few steps inside to take in the room before them. As with the rest of the palace, the room was all white stone, but most of the walls here were covered...

With books.

Hundreds of them. Perhaps a thousand.

Every wall of the room was a bookcase. A close look showed Ami that the bookcases themselves were stone and looked to be carved directly from the stone of the walls, showing that this room was no afterthought. The floor was covered by a deep red rug on which sat several comfortable-looking 'easy chairs', along with a dark wooden table surrounded by a handful of straight-back chairs. On the table was a tray with a pot and several cups. Light came from a thin window running just above the bookcases on one side of the room and was supplemented by several hanging lamps and a fireplace against the far wall.

"Wow... Ami? I don't think _you_ had this many books back in _our_ world."

Ami shook her head as she checked some of the titles. "I don't think I did either. I'm impressed. These aren't just for show. If the spines are any indication, these have been well read. Many times."

"That they have, Kaihe Mizuno."

Both Makoto and Ami turned at the voice. King Kameio and Queen Hina had come in a side door the two women had overlooked while distracted by the books. The two monarchs had changed to less formal attire that was more in line with everyday wear, including exchanging their crowns for matching gold circlets. The king smiled at them as he continued speaking, "I have read all 828 books in this library. Most of them more than once. And my wife and daughter are not too far behind me either," he added with a grin at his queen who returned it.

"If only most of them weren't treatise on war and conflict, we _would_ have read them all. Meyna and I prefer less death in our books."

The king rolled his eyes as he went over to the table and poured himself a cup of _trali_. "I _did_ get you those two volumes by that Firlian author you like so much."

"And _I _haven't read them yet. Meyna got to them before I did. I think she still has them in her rooms," said the queen as she walked toward Makoto and Ami. "My dears..." she said as she hugged a surprised Makoto before turning to Ami and giving her one as well. They both saw tears in the edges of her blue eyes. "My dear knights. What was said and done in the throne room is but a _fraction_ of the truth and what we owe you. Meyna is our _only_ child, and I can have no more children. You saved not only our child, but our kingdom." She motioned them to sit at the table as she poured cups for them and herself. As they all settled at the table, the two newborn knights took the offered cups, both of them feeling very strange at having a _queen_ serving _them_.

Before she drank, Makoto spoke, "Your Majesties... We only did what _anyone_ would have. What the Princess's guards _tried_ to do had they not been ambushed and surprised. It was pure chance that I saw it happen. I could have just as easily been inside the apothecary with Ami and not known anything until it was all over."

The king set his cup down as Makoto sipped hers. "Well, you two seem to have a knack for being where you're needed _when_ you're needed."

Makoto and Ami looked at each other with furrowed brows before Ami turned back to the king, "What do you mean by that?"

King Kameio smiled and looked at Makoto, "Kaihe Kino. Two years ago you were riding with a training patrol when you came across a caravan being attacked. With your timely assistance, the caravan guard were able to beat back the attackers and proceed on their way. What you didn't know at the time was that riding in that caravan were two of the Haaloan royal family on a journey _here_ to begin secret talks."

Makoto just stared in shock at the king. "How--"

He held up his hand to forestall her questions and turned to Ami. "Kaihe Mizuno. Last year you and your companion were with a group of healers when you came across a village that was being ravaged by disease, which is something no magic can cure. The healers could not help and were calling for the village to be sealed and left to its fate. They felt the loss of a single village was a small price to stop the pestilence from spreading across the kingdom. And yet _you_ were able to not only find a cure for it, but devised a way to make others immune to it!"

Now it was Ami's turn to stare. The disease had been something she'd remembered from her medical training back in their world. It was simple enough to cure and prevent if you knew what was causing it. "But...your Majesties..._how_ could you know about that? That happened on the other side of Haalo from here."

"That...would be _my_ doing," replied a very deep, cultured voice. Everyone turned toward the door. The gentleman closing the door was dressed in a variation of what Ami and Makoto had come to recognize as the standard palace garb of white and gold. Though instead of a simple tunic, he wore something resembling a Chinese martial arts top that had ties on the right side of the chest. The white of his clothing made his dark chocolate skin stand out even more, and like the king, his long, kinky gray/black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

The king stood and stepped over to take the man's hand with a smile. "Glad you could join us, Rola." Releasing the handshake, he turned to the table, "I'm sure you know them already, but indulge your king. Allow me to introduce Kaihe Makoto Kino and Kaihe Ami Mizuno of Haalo. These are the young ladies who saved Meyna this morning." The two girls, both with slight blushes on their cheeks, stood and bowed to the newcomer as they were introduced. "Kaihe, allow me to introduce Rola Ashwarden. While I protect the kingdom from overt threats, he protects it from covert ones."

Rola chuckled deeply as he returned the bows. "Oh, call me what I am, Sire: Head Spy." He moved beside the queen, bowed, and kissed her hand. "Your Majesty, I apologise for this morning," he said to her with sorrow in his voice. "We had heard rumblings that they were up to something, but we _never _expected something like this."

The queen gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it. "Apology accepted, Rola. Do not dwell on it."

"I must for a while, Your Majesty. To determine how we missed it."

She shook her head. "You're not a god, Rola. You can't know everything."

Rola snorted as he settled into the chair beside the queen. "Would that I were. _Their_ jobs are easier." He turned to Makoto and Ami, who had sat back down. "As I was saying when I came in, _I_ was the one who informed Their Majesties about your activities." He looked at Ami. "Particularly yours, Kaihe. For you see, in that village you saved was a visitor from the country of Yolan. The border of which is barely a league from that village. As you may know, Yolan is fairly insular. They prefer to keep to themselves and deal with their own problems. But the disease _you_ cured was one that had been ravaging their lands for many months. Once the visitor recovered, she went back home and passed along the knowledge of the cure. You see, Yolan is _my_ homeland, and that visitor was my cousin. The information she brought back home saved _her_ village and many others in Yolan. I owe you the lives of my family, Kaihe Mizuno."

As Rola spoke, Ami's eyes slowly went wide, until by the end of his tale they were like saucers. She looked down at the table, not really seeing it as her mind worked. So many little things fell into place now. She had spoken to Makoto this morning about changing the world...little did she realise that they had already been doing so for years now...

When she had helped save that village, she had of course gotten thanked by the people living there. That was to be expected. But the fact that she'd possibly saved an entire _country_ was something else entirely. She had a sudden flash of memory, from their lives before they arrived here...

She and her friends had saved their entire _world_, and yet, they had never seen it like that. They had each fought to save and protect their _friends_. The fact that, in doing so, they had saved the world entire was purely secondary. Such a small thing to save something so large...

"'For want of a nail'," Ami murmured. She felt a hand on hers and snapped back to the present, giving Makoto's hand a squeeze and shooting a quick smile at her friend. "Sorry," she said to the others around the table. "Just...remembering some things."

The king looked at her carefully. "What was that you said? Something about a nail?"

Ami nodded. "It's a tale from where we come from. 'For want of a nail, a horseshoe was lost. For want of a shoe, a horse was lost. For want of a horse, a king was lost. For want of a king, a kingdom was lost.' It's about how for want of a small, inconsequential item--a nail--something large and important--a kingdom--was lost." She looked at Rola. "What you said made me realise that _everything _we do affects those around us. The smallest actions can have the largest consequences." She turned to the king. "And what _you_ said, makes me wonder if, in some small way, Makoto and I _aren't _nails. Small, inconsequential things that protect larger, more important things."

"My dear Kaihe... True heroes are _far_ from 'small, inconsequential things'."

Makoto snorted, then realised who she was speaking to. "Your pardon, Your Majesties, but... We're not heroes. We just try to do the right thing."

Rola paused before taking a drink. "We have a saying _here_: 'Being a hero is doing the right thing when no one is around.' You could have just as easily turned and gone back inside the store. This is not your country. These are not your friends." Ami started at that. "You had no obligation to help, yet you did so without a second thought."

The girls turned thoughtful as they looked at each other. Ami gave a small smile and squeezed Makoto's hand. "He's right, you know? Ever since we came here, we've been helping people. Sometimes without even realising it." Out of the corner of her eye, Ami saw the other three passing looks between themselves. The queen gave a small nod, and the king sighed and nodded as well, with Rola giving them both a very slight bow in acknowledgment.

Makoto, her hand still holding Ami's, looked at the two royals and the spymaster with narrowed eyes. "I saw that... What is it?"

Rola sipped from his cup before putting it on the table. "Their Majesties feel you should know some of the things we know. For instance--" he sighed. "We know about the ritual that brought you here, though we don't know the details of it." Both Makoto and Ami straightened up at that, casting glances at each other before turning their attention back to Rola. "We just know that you are heroes from another world brought here to help this one. King Willom of Haalo summoned you to help _his_ country--which you _have _done--but as you've noticed, your good deeds are not restricted to just that country. You help those who deserve it, regardless of who they are or where they are from."

Ami sighed, releasing Makoto's hand and sitting back in her chair. "I'm not surprised that you know about it. Not really. It seems that it's a 'public secret' in Haalo. Known, but not spoken about."

Rola nodded. "Indeed. Their Majesties also wanted to let you know who it was you fought this morning."

Makoto leaned forward at that. "Now that, _I_ want to know! I owe them some bruises and shock therapy."

The king chuckled dryly as he refilled his cup. "You are not alone in that, Kaihe. The entire kingdom owes them. They call themselves the 'New Moon Society'. We're not sure exactly what their aims are, aside from bringing down the kingdom, that is. This is the first time they've struck openly. Before today, they'd limited themselves to bribes and, we suspect, assassinations."

Ami raised an eyebrow. "You suspect? You don't know?"

Rola shook his head. "We cannot prove anything. But there have been several timely 'accidents' that have either killed or severely injured those who are intensely loyal to the kingdom. And those who replaced them are...less so, and we believe them to be members of the Society, but with no proof, we cannot remove them. Their Majesties _do_ rule Kala'i, but _with_ the support of the nobles. Accusing some of them without proof would lead the others to feel their Majesties were just trying to remove those nobles they didn't like."

Queen Hina stood and began to pace the floor with a dark expression. "As much as I hate thinking about it like this, when they attacked my baby today, they gave us an opening. Something we can _show_ to those idiot nobles!" King Kameio stood and moved to his queen's side, putting an arm around her shoulders. At this she seemed to collapse inward and turned to bury her face against his chest as he held her. He stroked her hair and looked back at the table.

"What about the people who attacked her?"

Rola sighed. "We captured two Society members today. The one whose knee Kaihe Kino cut through, and the one Kaihe Mizuno struck with her water magic."

Makoto stood suddenly. "Wait! What about the one who attacked me with lightning?! He should have been out for hours!"

Rola held his hands up. "While you and the princess were escorted to the palace, the guard hunted for that man and the woman, but could find no sign of them. We must assume that either another Society member helped him escape, or he was able to shake off the attack you sent back at him, and escaped on his own."

Makoto slammed her fist on the table, causing the pot and cups to jump. "_Dammit!_" Ami slipped her hand over Makoto's fist and, with a look at the sorceress, all the anger seemed to leave the taller girl. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped back down in the chair. "Dammit..."

Rola nodded at Makoto. "Believe me, we understand your frustration, Kaihe. The man you injured is still unconscious and may never wake up. He lost a lot of blood before the healers got to him. The other man was battered and bruised, but otherwise unhurt. We have been unable to get any useful information from him though. According to him, everyone wore masks when they met, and everyone was given a 'Society name' to be used rather than their real ones. His was 'Dela', the one you fought was 'Orek', and the woman's was 'Tisme'."

The queen watched Rola as he spoke, and her eyes narrowed. "You're not telling us something, Rola. What is it?"

Rola looked down at the table, took a deep breath, and looked up again. "Your Majesties...the palace is not the haven we thought it was. The man Kaihe Kino slew, his name was Dorc Tinin. He worked in the palace as an assistant in the kitchens." The king released his queen and spun toward the chamber doors. "Sire! Wait!" He turned back to Rola and the look in his eyes made Makoto's hand twitch unconsciously toward her sword before she forced it flat on the table. "Sire, I have put my _most_ trustworthy men on this. Every single guard still in the palace has been investigated and have been found to be the most loyal subjects you have." He looked at the queen. "_My_ men are guarding Meyna. No one else will be allowed near her. You need not fear for _her_ safety, Your Majesties. Dorc was hired in the last year, and the person who hired him is currently being questioned in the dungeons. Everyone who was hired in the past _two _years have been relieved of their duties and are being confined to the servants wing until they can be investigated and cleared."

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "How do we know _you_ can be trusted?"

Rola laughed loudly. "Because if I were not trustworthy, you all would have been dead before I even entered the room." That merited shocked expressions all around and Rola just pointed to the pot of _trali_."The pot and cups were in here before any of you entered, correct?" Makoto and Ami nodded slowly. "And you had all taken a drink from it before I came in, correct?" More nods. "The _trali_ itself could have been poisoned or the inside of the cups laced with it. I would have walked into the room to find you all dead, and with the guards _certain_ I never came near you." They all just stared at him. "It may shock you to hear this, but it _is_ my jobto think of things like that and prevent them." He stood and went down on one knee before the king and queen. "Your Majesties, I have been by your sides since before Meyna was born. I could _never_ betray the trust you have given me. You took me in when--" he glanced at Makoto and Ami and gave a small grin before bowing his head. "--when others would not. Kala'i is my home and _you_ are my family."

Queen Hina gave a small smile. "And you are part of ours, Rola. We _do_ trust you." The king and queen both reached down to help him to his feet. "Just...going after my baby like that..."

"I know, Your Majesties. We are not fighting an honorable enemy. We cannot expect honorable tactics..."

Makoto slumped in her chair and pushed her cup away with a finger as Rola continued speaking with the king and queen. She was used to dealing with direct threats in a direct manner. Now they seemed to be in the middle of a conflict with shadows. Nothing to fight, just corners to watch. Suddenly, Ami leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Makoto started. "What was that for?" she asked in a low voice.

Ami smiled at her, her blue eyes shining. "Thanks for escorting me today. Without you with me, they probably would have succeeded, and I...I might have been killed as well when I tried to stop them."

Makoto reached for her hand, holding it tight. "You're stronger than that, Ami. I may protect you, but that _doesn't_ mean you are weak."

Ami leaned closer and whispered with a grin, "Only for you, love."

Makoto swallowed as she felt her temperature go up several degrees.

Ami gave her hand a squeeze before letting go, and stood up. "Be right back. Nature's calling." Ami nodded to the queen before leaving the room. The king and Rola were talking in low tones on the far side of the fireplace, and seemed to have tuned out the rest of the room. Makoto watched Ami leave and half-wished the sorceress wasn't wearing her cloak...

"You love her, don't you?"

Makoto waited until the door closed behind Ami before turning to the queen who had taken the seat beside her. Truthfully, she was unsure how to answer. In Haalo, homosexual relationships were tolerated, if not joyously welcomed, but here? She had no idea of people's thoughts on it. The functionary who had escorted them to the throne room hadn't seemed to care for the affection they'd shown, but were those _his_ feelings or the attitude of the country in general? These thoughts flashed through Makoto's head in the time it took her to turn to the queen, and she smiled, because there was really only one answer.

"Yes, I do. Very much."

The queen wore a thoughtful expression as she looked at the door that Ami had left by, before turning back to Makoto, whose smile began to waver. "Does she love you back?"

"Yes."

The queen smiled a bit at that. "It was _slightly_ obvious, you know. When you two weren't touching each other, you were hovering close together." Makoto blushed at that, and the queen patted her hand. "Relax. You're young. You're allowed."

After a few moments, Makoto got her blush under control and the queen withdrew her hand. "I wanted to ask...um...how do people here view relationships like ours?"

The queen put her hand on her breast. "_Our_ relationship?" she asked with a mock shocked expression, causing Makoto to blush again and turn her head away with a grin.

"No! Geez... Mine and Ami's!" She covered her face in embarrassment, trying not to giggle.

The queen let out a laugh that reminded Makoto of crystal. Clear and pure. "I'm sorry, my dear. I couldn't help it. To answer your question, such relationships are not uncommon here. Both male and female. Most people understand that love is a powerful force and treat it with the respect it deserves. In fact, Kala'i had two female rulers for a time. The king fell prey to disease, and afterwards, while his son grew to adulthood, the queen took another woman as her concubine. As the years went on, the concubine became as loved and respected as the queen herself, and they ruled together." She motioned toward the king, who was still speaking with the spymaster. They had retired to two of the 'easy chairs' and were both smoking long-stemmed pipes. "As you've noticed, we rule together equally. We each have our own special areas of expertise of course. I don't care much for war and tactics and such, and he doesn't care for the logistics of keeping the palace running. But otherwise, we act together to make decisions. It's been like that since the first Kala'i rulers."

Makoto smiled at that. "Sounds nice. Makes me wish we'd been summoned here rather than Haalo. Even if some of the natives here aren't quite friendly," she added with a wry look. "Haalo's a nice place, don't doubt that, but...well, when we arrived there they were rather upset that their grand, hero-summoning ritual had gotten them a couple of teenage _girls_." She shook her head as the queen giggled. "They were a little _more_ impressed when I took out a couple of guards bare-handed before they could explain where we were and why."

"That's my Makoto."

The queen and Makoto looked up to see Ami walking toward the table with a smile. "Welcome back," Makoto said. "I was just asking Her Majesty how our relationship, " she motioned between Ami and herself, "was accepted here."

Ami glanced at the queen, then looked at Makoto. "And?"

The queen smiled. "As I told her, most here realise that love is a very powerful force, and that the feelings it evokes should be treated with respect." She shook her head. "Do not worry, just...be yourselves.

The girls smiled at each other. "We can do that," Ami said before her expression became serious. "Would we be able to see the princess before we leave? We didn't get a chance to say more than a few words before the guards escorted her away."

The queen nodded. "I was wondering if you would ask that. I'm sure Meyna would like to see you as well. I believe she is in her chambers at the moment. She usually teaches reading in the afternoon to some of the younger children in the palace."

Both Ami and Makoto looked surprised at that, and the queen asked them why. Makoto grinned sheepishly. "Well, she remind us a _lot_ of someone we knew in our world. The girl _we_ knew didn't care for reading much more than, well...children's picture books."

"Ahh... I see. Well, Meyna has always loved reading, and tries to pass that love along to everyone she teaches." She motioned to the two men sitting in front of the fire. "Since Rola's men are guarding her, you'll need to speak to him before you go to her. I'll get someone to escort you." She stood and headed to the door Makoto and Ami had come in, while they went over to speak with Rola.

"I see no problem with you visiting the princess," Rola said, glancing at the king who nodded his agreement. The spymaster then reached into a pouch on his belt and withdrew a coin which he handed to Ami. "Just give that to the men guarding her door and they'll let you in."

Ami looked the coin over and saw that it appeared to be an ordinary Kala'ian coin. Rola grinned. "The guards know what to look for. Just don't get it mixed up with other coins." Ami nodded and decided to just hold onto it rather than stick it in a pouch.

The queen soon returned with a young brown-haired girl, in a plain dress, who was probably no more than ten years-old, and whose eyes got wide as saucers when she walked into the room and saw all the books. "Wow..." she said as she looked around. The queen just smiled.

"This is Nisa, one of the girls Meyna teaches. As she was on her way _to_ Meyna, I thought she'd be perfect to lead you there." She looked down at the girl. "Nisa? This is Makoto and Ami. Could you lead them to Meyna's rooms? They want to talk to her."

The girl looked up at Ami, and then up some more at Makoto. "Wow...you're _tall_..."

Makoto chuckled. "Yes. I am. And in a few years you might be as tall as me."

"Wow..."

It was the queens turn to laugh. "Nisa? Would you take them to Meyna?"

The little girl blinked and looked at the queen. "Oh! Yeah! Follow me!" she said before heading out the door.

The queen shook her head with a grin. "You'd better do as she says before she's out of sight, Kaihe. She's not one to slow down often." The girls bowed deeply to the queen before hurrying after their 'escort'.

End Chapter Two

Next Chapter: Mirrors


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